An air cleaner assembly is used to provide a source of clean air to an internal combustion engine. The air cleaner assembly is necessary for efficient performance of the engine having an affect on fuel efficiency and engine life. In most applications the air cleaner assembly is attached directly to an air induction system for the engine and filters air at the point of entry into the air induction system. The air cleaner assembly is expected to have a disposable or serviceable air intake filter cartridge with a large dust accumulation capacity, for a corresponding long service life, and have good filtering efficiency over the entire duration of their service life.
An additional requirement, common to all air intake filter cartridges, is low flow resistance across the filter cartridge. This flow resistance increases gradually, as the layer of accumulated dust on the filter cartridge grows thicker, until it reaches a predetermined critical flow resistance at which time the filter cartridge has to be replaced or serviced. A clogged air filter cartridge restricts air passage, thereby preventing fuel and air from mixing at an optimal fuel/air ratio for combustion. Since the results of running an engine with a dirty air filter cartridge is undesirable, it is advantageous and cost efficient to have an easily serviceable air filter cartridge.
Although the air cleaner assembly may be affective for removing dust and other airborne contaminates from entering the engine, it is generally not effective in reducing transmitted induction noise. Transmitted induction noise is sound generated by the engine and includes combustion, valve, turbocharger, the flow of the air as it is being drawn into the engine, and other noises.
In some shipboard applications, it is common practice to provide bulkhead or wall mounted air cleaners to filter the air that enters the engine room or compartment and not filter the air at the point of entry into the air induction system. Generally in such arrangements, an engine mounted silencer assembly is employed to reduce the transmission of the induction noise. The silencer assembly is connected directly to the air induction system. The silencer assembly may include a debris filter to prevent large objects such as tools, detached engine parts, birds or the like from being dropped or ingested into the engine.
The wall mounted air cleaners and engine mounted silencer assemblies are generally undesirable since soot and other engine room airborne contaminants can be ingested into the engine reducing power produced by combustion of the fuel/air mixture and subjecting the engine to premature damage and wear due to abrasion from the entrained contaminants. The silencer assemblies are inherently costly and complex.
The subject invention provides a relatively inexpensive noise attenuating air cleaner assembly which has a large dust accumulating capacity, a long service life, produces minimal airflow restriction and has air cleaner and silencer assemblies that are easy to assemble an disassemble. The invention also provides engine induction noise attenuation through the use of a silencer assembly and noise absorbing surfaces. The noise attenuating air cleaner assembly construction consists of fewness of parts all contained within a space efficient compact design.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.